When the copies P of originals are made by a copying machine, the copies are bound together by a staple 90 or clip 80 as shown in FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b), to prevent the copies from scattering from each other and to facilitate the handling of the copies. If the copies are to be bound together by the clip 80, the copy machine operator usually fits the clip to the copies by hand. If the copies are to be bound together by a staple 90, the operator usually uses a manual stapler. Since the burden on the operator in binding a relatively small number of copies together is relatively low, the copies can generally be quickly and easily bound together.
If a larger number of copies are to be bound together, a finisher 3 is sometimes coupled to a copying machine to organize the copies and bind them together by a staple. The finisher 3 is provided with a sorter or the like and with a staple driving unit. The copies P made by the copying machine 1 are automatically sorted so that the copies taken out of the tray of the sorter or remaining in the tray are bound together by a staple 90 at the corners of the copies as shown in FIG. 14(a).
In a conventional prior art device, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 43765/84, a copying machine is provided with a finisher so that copies sent into the compiling tray of the finisher are aligned, bound together with a staple by a staple driving unit, and discharged into a discharge tray.
In another conventional prior art device, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 59002/87 (the term "OPI" meaning an "unexamined published application"), a finisher provided with a sheet folder and a sheet binder is coupled to a copying machine. Large copies are automatically folded in half or into a Z form or the like to a desired size and are then automatically stapled together by the sheet binder.
Automatically binding copies together with a staple as described above facilitates the handling of the copies, and greatly reduces the burden on the operator of the copying machine.
Photocopies are also often bound together with a Zem clip or the like. Such clips are illustrated in FIGS. 7-10. There have been no devices for automatically fitting the Zem clip or the like to the sheets of paper from a copying machine. Therefore, the Zem clip or the like is fitted to the sheets of paper by manually increasing the distance between the inner and outer rings of the Zem clip or the like and then inserting the sheets of paper between the inner and outer rings. This manual way of fitting the Zem clip or the like to the sheets of paper is not a problem for the operator if the number of the sheets of paper is small.
Devices for manual clip fitting have been developed in the prior art. Devices for manual Zem clip fitting were disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 14142/68 and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 30491/73. In the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 14142/68, the tips of the inner and outer rings of a Zem clip are bent away from each other so that sheets of paper may be inserted between the bent tips of the inner and outer rings to bind the sheets of paper together. It is unnecessary to open the tips of the inner and outer rings of the Zem clip away from each other in fitting the Zem clip to the sheets of paper. In the device disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Application No. 30491/73, a guide is provided to open the tips of the inner and outer rings of a Zem clip as the Zem clip is sent out from a clip holder. When the Zem clip is pushed out from the clip holder, the tips of the inner and outer rings of the clip are opened by the guide to make it easy to fit the Zem clip to sheets of paper.
Devices wherein a clip made of an almost circularly bent wire is automatically fitted to sheets of paper are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 11974/76 and Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 91422/75. Since the tips of the inner and outer rings of the clip can be easily opened by hand, the sheets of paper can be easily bound together by the clip made of the almost circularly bent wire.
Devices in which a clip made of a spring plate bent in half is fitted to sheets of paper were disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 196297/84 and Japanese Utility Model Application (OPI) No. 68977/84. Such a clip is shown in FIG. 11. However, the clip does not have handles and the tips of the portions of the clip cannot be opened by hand so as to be placed over the sheets of paper. Therefore, a means for opening the tips of the portions of the clip to insert the sheets of paper between the tips must be provided to fit the clip to the sheets of paper.
Referring to the above-mentioned conventional devices for binding sheets of paper together using a staple, there is a problem in that the stapled portions of the sheets of paper are relatively weak and are likely to become unbound from each other. For example, if the sheets of paper bound together by the staple are to be copied, the staple should be removed from the sheets of paper before the copying and the sheets must be restapled after the copying. If the staple is large and thick, it is difficult to remove the staple from the sheets of paper and the sheets of paper may be torn when the staple is removed.
As for the above-mentioned conventional devices for binding the sheets of paper together with a clip, a Zem clip in particular, the sheets of paper bound together can be easily unbound for photocopying and can also be easily bound together again. However, in the past none of the clips can be automatically inserted from a finisher for a copying machine, as have the above-mentioned staple-binding devices. Therefore, the clip must be manually fitted to the photocopies. In other words, when the above-described clip binding devices are used, the operator must manually align or true up the sheets of paper and then bind them together by the clip after performing the copying. For that reason, the burden on the operator is heavy and his efficiency is lowered.